2014 TITLE NUMBER TWO FOR STU!
Stuart Gough took his second Formula Ford title of the season at Anglesey. Photo: www.bournephoto.co.uk
On the weekend of 27th/28thSeptember, as the BRSCC’s North Western Centre took charge at Anglesey Circuit, Stuart Gough sealed his second major Avon Tyres Post 89 Formula Ford 1600 title of the season when he added the National Championship to the Triple Crown he clinched at Silverstone in August.
The concluding weekend for the National series comprised of 3 races in which Gough and his closest challenger, James Raven, occupied the front row of every grid from where Gough was first into Target each time the red lights went out. He converted this initial advantage into a win in the opening encounter but in race 2 Raven made a move on the leader the second time the duo approached the Corkscrew. They negotiated the tricky downhill complex side-by-side before Gough spun off rounding the final element. As Raven held off David McArthur to take victory, Gough attempted to work his way back up the order but with his car damaged in the earlier clash, he pulled into the pits to retire on lap 10 following another gyration at Rocket. As in race 1, Gough was ahead from lights to flag in the third clash. Raven dropped back out of drafting range when he ran wide in the middle section of the Corkscrew during the early stages.
Jamie Jardine already had the Pre 90 National class sewn up but this didn’t stop him from taking two wins ahead of his closest challenger, Chris Hodgen, in Saturday’s races. However, it all went wrong for the Frodsham driver at the start of Sunday’s encounter when he got too close for comfort to Martin Short at the first corner causing both to spin on to the grass. This left Hodgen in the clear to lead home Stuart Jones with Jardine recovering to take third.
The first of two Fun Cup races – each of 3 hour duration – featured a great battle at the front between the 125 JPR and 262 Track Focused cars with their drivers braking as late as they dared into the Rocket complex lap after lap. This was before Racelogic’s Joachim Ritter handed over Car No. 1 to his rapid team mates Julian Thomas and Nigel Greensall who had the pace to take the chequered flag in dominant fashion with 107 Honeywell (piloted by Tim Wheeldon/Geoff Fawcett/Neil Plimmer) finishing strongly to take the runner-up position.
Fun Cup UK rules mean the winners of the previous race have to start from the back of the grid therefore if Racelogic were to repeat their opening victory in North Wales they would have to pass 22 other cars. Having made great progress during the first hour, the team were battling for fifth with the 99 JPR entry. Contact was made which resulted in damage to the front wings of both cars. Racelogic seemed to be the worst affected with bodywork acting as an airbrake and costing lots of time down the circuit’s long back straight. They soldiered on until the second pit window opened after 60 minutes but by the time repairs had been applied, they were no longer on the lead lap. Greensall put in a blinding final stint to overtake eventual winners 107 Honeywell and unlap himself but the late race Safety Car he required to give him a chance of victory never materialised.
Tony Rudd headed the field into Target in Saturday’s Demon Tweeks/Sparco XR Challenge encounter however he was adjudged to have jumped the start. Although the stewards applied a 10 second penalty to his race time, he had already thrown away the benefit of his early get-away by out-braking himself into Rocket on the opening tour. This handed the advantage to Steve Poole as Rudd joined in a mega battle for second which was won by Ralph Fernihough from Jack Minshaw and Michael Heath with Jonathan Wells, who was enroute to 3 out 3 XR3i class wins during the weekend, at the back of this pack having mixed it with the front-running XR2s.
For the two XR races staged on Sunday, Steve Poole handed his car over to Julian Roberts while Tony Rudd had to start a long way down the order with the grid decided by Saturday’s result after his time penalty was applied. This left the way clear for Wells and Minshaw to fight it out for the win. In the closing stages, they went door handle to door handle at Rocket with Minshaw coming out on top with Wells soon being further demoted by Fernihough.
Minshaw and Fernihough contested the final clash of the weekend. Minshaw was often the last of the late brakers into Rocket but Fernihough always managed to get back ahead thanks to having more traction exiting The Banking.
You can check out all the results and lap analysis courtesy of TSL at Anglesey Results
Dave Williams
